PHILADELPHIA — People spoke up. From the luxury boxes to the cheap seats, candidly and anonymously, loudly and under their breaths, over the airwaves and from the comfort of their homes, it was no secret.

They worried about Roy Halladay. They questioned whether he had lost his command and whether his pitches had lost velocity. They wondered whether his right arm had lost some infallibility.

Halladay quashed those concerns Friday night by making quick work of St. Louis’ lineup in a game that required a time limit. The Phillies ended a four-game losing streak with an 8-2, rain-shortened win that lasted only seven innings.

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“When he’s throwing strikes and been able to move the ball and everything, I think that gives him a lot of confidence,” manager Charlie Manuel said. “Any time you get people swinging and missing, that helps.”

When Halladay induced a groundball out from the Cardinals’ Ty Wigginton to end the top of seventh inning and his outing, the sky opened and the rain delay began. Halladay allowed four baserunners — two hits and two walks — with six strikeouts in seven innings for his second win of the season.

At times, Halladay looked untouchable. Production from the bottom of the batting order didn’t hurt, either.

“And we got a walk, didn’t we? We finally got a walk,” Manuel said.

Yes, there was that. Chase Utley’s first-inning walk ended a streak that had reached 137 consecutive plate appearances without a base on balls.

The Phillies (7-10) got run-scoring hits from John Mayberry Jr., Ben Revere and Humberto Quintero as part of that five-run first inning. Cardinals third baseman Ty Wigginton could have spared starter Jaime Garcia had he not sent a two-out throw to first base a few feet wide of the bag, extending the Phillies’ half of the inning.

Not to be outdone, Garcia made his night increasingly difficult. He looked as though he had nothing in the tank, coughing up one run in the second and two more in the third.

“It’s a big difference pitching with a nice lead,” Halladay said. “Doesn’t happen often, but it sure makes you a better pitcher.”

With room to work, Halladay did his thing. And looked every bit like the Cy Young Award winner to whom fans had grown accustomed.

Halladay’s abysmal start to the season, in which he gave up 12 earned runs in 7Ď innings, was cause for panic. And no one was begging for the Phillies to print off World Series tickets last week, when Halladay dusted Miami’s soft-hitting lineup in an eight-inning effort.

Which made his performance Friday that much more impressive.

“The first two starts were a struggle. I know it’s hard for you guys to believe, but I always felt like I was going in the right direction,” Halladay said. “I just felt like it needed a matter of time before I could really put it all together. Having some of the setbacks in spring (training) that I had and not getting to pitch deep into games, I think that all kind of hurt me. When I got a chance to pitch deeper into games and do more work in the bullpen, I felt like I was able to carry that over onto the field.”

Outside of a pair of solo home runs issued to Carlos Beltran and Matt Holliday, in the second and seventh innings, respectively, Halladay cruised. He retired 14 in a row after Beltran’s blast.

Halladay worked all sides of the plate, got some of that all-important run support, earned a win, and by the sound of it, earned back a few fans in the process.

“It was important for me to stay within myself … and go from there,” he said.

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Joe Savery got the call. Again.

The left-handed relief pitcher took John Lannan’s place on the Phillies’ roster, getting promoted to the big club after a strong start at Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Not as though this is a first for him or anything.

“It hasn’t been the way I envisioned it, but I’m still playing,” Savery said. “A few years ago, I didn’t necessarily think that was going to be the case. I feel better about how to mentally handle being up here and what’s expected and what it takes.”

Savery, who got rocked in 25 games with the Phils last season, was on a tear with the IronPigs upon getting recalled. The 27-year-old had tossed 7Î scoreless innings in five appearances, limiting opposing hitters to two hits while striking out 11 and walking none.

The Phillies aren’t expecting to use Savery as a starter, so they still have to make a roster move before Monday’s game, Manuel said.